The proper relegation thread.

[Son of Cod]

I wouldn't worry about last night - you'll beat us in a few weeks.

Sorry, what haha...are top of the league telling us they're worse than us now as well? Was bad enough with Carlisle but this is taking the piss.

If you defend like this they will....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1372121857357414400

That would require us having a shot on goal.

 

[Si Robin]

Sorry, what haha...are top of the league telling us they're worse than us now as well? Was bad enough with Carlisle but this is taking the piss.

That would require us having a shot on goal.

No, we're much better than Grimsby, but we're diabolical against teams in the bottom 3rd.

 

[Laker]

I didn't appreciate til I looked last night just how bad Colchester have been since early December. They've only won once since 8th December (19 games) and haven't scored away from home since 15th December (9 games)! I know they've got points on the board but still reckon they're in it if they don't get a couple more wins soon.

 

[valefan16]

I didn't appreciate til I looked last night just how bad Colchester have been since early December. They've only won once since 8th December (19 games) and haven't scored away from home since 15th December (9 games)! I know they've got points on the board but still reckon they're in it if they don't get a couple more wins soon.

It’s a strange one Colchester from outside and maybe the fans on here can explain... they got rid of Norris who’s a striker and does score goals and also Gambin (was excellent against us in December and last night for Newport when he came on)

Is it financial the reasons why? Seemed a crazy decision on the face of it, don’t think they have a full out and out striker do they that I read?

 

[dedwardp]

I didn't appreciate til I looked last night just how bad Colchester have been since early December. They've only won once since 8th December (19 games) and haven't scored away from home since 15th December (9 games)! I know they've got points on the board but still reckon they're in it if they don't get a couple more wins soon.

We were terrible before then as well, but undeservedly picking up points. Stevenage at home is arguably the only game we've won all season where we really deserved too, possibly Orient at home too. Besides that, our other wins had generally been backs-to-the-wall stuff, or else we would quite easily be marooned adrift at the bottom with our fishy friends.

This is the table since early December, even Southend (nil) have outscored us:

It’s a strange one Colchester from outside and maybe the fans on here can explain... they got rid of Norris who’s a striker and does score goals and also Gambin (was excellent against us in December and last night for Newport when he came on)

Is it financial the reasons why? Seemed a crazy decision on the face of it, don’t think they have a full out and out striker do they that I read?

It was a cost-cutting exercise as Norris would have been one of the biggest earners and both he and Gambin were out of contract in the summer. I think that we had complacently written off the season in January, deciding we weren't going to go up and we weren't going to go down, until being forced into making some moves on deadline day as we continued sliding closer to the drop.

That said, Norris wasn't very good so no great loss and Gambin had done absolutely nothing in the 18 months he had been with us so, again, no real loss. Last season we often had Theo Robinson and Frank Nouble in attack, Robinson wasn't replaced and Nouble only came back at the end of January. Nouble adds a different dimension to the side with his ability to make the ball stick at the far end, but we are still missing a Robinson type to get in behind and put the ball away. The forward replacements we've brought in this season (Taylor-Crossdale, Bohui, Folivi, Oteh) haven't really cut it albeit Folivi has looked half decent when he's had a chance around a few niggling injuries.

Ultimately, the squad isn't too much different to the one that made the play-offs last season and looked capable of pushing the top three - there's no way that we should be as low as we are and the level of performance we've got out of them this season has been shocking, far lower than the sum of its parts. How much of that can be attributed to the appointment of Steve Ball or to losing Luke Prosser at the back (Tommy Smith doesn't seem to have gelled with Tom Eastman as well as Prosser did) or Frank Nouble/Theo Robinson, is anyone's guess.

 

[BarraMatt]

6 of our 7 wins in that table have come under Kelly.

 

[valefan16]

Bad midweek for Grimsby all things considered, a good point in terms of Tranmere at home but they need wins and with Vale and Barrow winning and Colchester and Walsall picking up a point they are two points further away.

Effectively 9 off with goal difference and Barrow have a game in hand, if they lose next week to Barrow with a difficult trip to Mansfield in between you think that would be all hope lost for the Mariners.

 

[chipmunx]

Bad midweek for Grimsby all things considered, a good point in terms of Tranmere at home but they need wins and with Vale and Barrow winning and Colchester and Walsall picking up a point they are two points further away.

Effectively 9 off with goal difference and Barrow have a game in hand, if they lose next week to Barrow with a difficult trip to Mansfield in between you think that would be all hope lost for the Mariners.

IF and it's a big IF, we beat Crawley and Grimsby, and Grimsby lose both matches then they'd be 14 points behind us and a minimumn 11 points from safety - 12 if Colchester v Port Vale is a draw.
IF that happened they'd need a team of 11 Jimmy Glass's for the rest of the season.....

 

[pontoonlew]

We should’ve won all 3 of our previous 3, unfortunately one defensive lapse and 2 god awful finishes have cost us 6 points, would’ve been huge.

We are set to appeal to the FA I hear though, apparently given that LJL wasn’t signed to score goals we’ll be lobbying to allow us the goals by default.

 

[BarraMatt]

Reckon we will need 4 wins from our last 13. I'd rather get amongst Colchester and Walsall sooner rather than later so we aren't the target anymore.

 

[RLC]

We should’ve won all 3 of our previous 3, unfortunately one defensive lapse and 2 god awful finishes have cost us 6 points, would’ve been huge.

We are set to appeal to the FA I hear though, apparently given that LJL wasn’t signed to score goals we’ll be lobbying to allow us the goals by default.

I don't think you should have won last night. A draw was a fair result.

You had one good chance in the second half which you put straight at the keeper, but we had two free headers from set plays which we did not even get on target. Neither team created much or deserved to win.

 

[valefan16]

Reckon we will need 4 wins from our last 13. I'd rather get amongst Colchester and Walsall sooner rather than later so we aren't the target anymore.

You and us have that extra point which is goal difference on the bottom two, I reckon 8 points for you and 5 for us would probably do it. 43/44 would need Southend to win 5 of 11.

4 wins would certainly be more than enough.

 

[Super_horns]

On the Grimsby predictor thing I got this:

20 Colchester 46 -15 44
21 Port Vale 46 -6 43
22 Walsall 46 -6 42
-------------------------------
23 Southend 46 -28 39
24 Grimsby 46 -28 31

 

[GTFCfish]

I don't think you should have won last night. A draw was a fair result.

You had one good chance in the second half which you put straight at the keeper, but we had two free headers from set plays which we did not even get on target. Neither team created much or deserved to win.

I think he means just based on the John-Lewis miss, same as in the Colchester game, neither game did we play particularly well in but we still managed to have the best chance in each game.

 

[pontoonlew]

On the Grimsby predictor thing I got this:

20 Colchester 46 -15 44
21 Port Vale 46 -6 43
22 Walsall 46 -6 42
-------------------------------
23 Southend 46 -28 39
24 Grimsby 46 -28 31

I’m pessimistic but 4 points from our remaining games looks harsh even to me!

 

[pontoonlew]

I don't think you should have won last night. A draw was a fair result.

You had one good chance in the second half which you put straight at the keeper, but we had two free headers from set plays which we did not even get on target. Neither team created much or deserved to win.

We had the best chance of the game and if he’d put it away we’d have won, same at Colchester (that one being an unbelievable miss)

 

[Super_horns]

I’m pessimistic but 4 points from our remaining games looks harsh even to me!

With my predictions record you’ll win all the games and finish mid table !!

 

[chipmunx]

On the Grimsby predictor thing I got this:

20 Colchester 46 -15 44
21 Port Vale 46 -6 43
22 Walsall 46 -6 42
-------------------------------
23 Southend 46 -28 39
24 Grimsby 46 -28 31

how many points did we get?

 

[Super_horns]

how many points did we get?

49 - joint with Oldham.

Think I gave you 3/4 home wins v Crawley , Grimsby , Port Vale and Southend.

 

[valefan16]

5 points would be disappointing with our improvement performance wise and return of key players but would be typically Vale!

 

[masi51]

We were terrible before then as well, but undeservedly picking up points. Stevenage at home is arguably the only game we've won all season where we really deserved too, possibly Orient at home too. Besides that, our other wins had generally been backs-to-the-wall stuff, or else we would quite easily be marooned adrift at the bottom with our fishy friends.

This is the table since early December, even Southend (nil) have outscored us:

View attachment 13995


It was a cost-cutting exercise as Norris would have been one of the biggest earners and both he and Gambin were out of contract in the summer. I think that we had complacently written off the season in January, deciding we weren't going to go up and we weren't going to go down, until being forced into making some moves on deadline day as we continued sliding closer to the drop.

That said, Norris wasn't very good so no great loss and Gambin had done absolutely nothing in the 18 months he had been with us so, again, no real loss. Last season we often had Theo Robinson and Frank Nouble in attack, Robinson wasn't replaced and Nouble only came back at the end of January. Nouble adds a different dimension to the side with his ability to make the ball stick at the far end, but we are still missing a Robinson type to get in behind and put the ball away. The forward replacements we've brought in this season (Taylor-Crossdale, Bohui, Folivi, Oteh) haven't really cut it albeit Folivi has looked half decent when he's had a chance around a few niggling injuries.

Ultimately, the squad isn't too much different to the one that made the play-offs last season and looked capable of pushing the top three - there's no way that we should be as low as we are and the level of performance we've got out of them this season has been shocking, far lower than the sum of its parts. How much of that can be attributed to the appointment of Steve Ball or to losing Luke Prosser at the back (Tommy Smith doesn't seem to have gelled with Tom Eastman as well as Prosser did) or Frank Nouble/Theo Robinson, is anyone's guess.

Come and take Comley back

 

[valefan16]

Come and take Comley back

Can have Theo back too... safe to say that one hasn’t really worked out... ah well if we hadn’t messed about trying to get Maynard who’s been equally as meh this season we could have had Jamille Matt who we stalled on!

 

[Casey]

Barrow look to be playing better lately and with that Crawley have a chance of winning on Saturday.

If Barrow go ugly, press and are at us we will not win.

I do not condemn that style of play. Its what Barca used to do and everyone says how wonderful it was.

Casey

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Barrow look to be playing better lately and with that Crawley have a chance of winning on Saturday.

If Barrow go ugly, press and are at us we will not win.

I do not condemn that style of play. Its what Barca used to do and everyone says how wonderful it was.

Casey

That's exactly how we'll play. Our tactics under Rob Kelly have been to set up and defend and then re-assess around the hour mark. The clean sheet is the priority.

 

[hellogregory]

Well done barrow on staying up.

Should be good to have the Cumbrian Derbies next season with fans in attendance.

As for us, thank fuck we showed title form in the first half of the season. That’s what’s keeping us from being dragged into a relegation battle. But we have to be big favourites for the drop next season the way this team is regressing.

 

[BarraMatt]

Good to see that we are no longer "the target".

 

[kieran_vale]

I think another win that will be ok for us but for all intents and purposes am pretty comfortable with where we are at now. Almost at the point can do a full inquest into the monumental fuck-up this season has been then and plan for next year.

Think that equaliser Southend let in has probably doomed them though Colchester certainly first half today were pretty listless so not impossible they could be caught. They looked like we did between November and February. Same could be said for Walsall if they don't act fast with getting a proper manager in.

 

[Shrimper92]

If we don't win Tuesday then we're done most likely

 

[valefan16]

I think another win that will be ok for us but for all intents and purposes am pretty comfortable with where we are at now. Almost at the point can do a full inquest into the monumental fuck-up this season has been then and plan for next year.

Think that equaliser Southend let in has probably doomed them though Colchester certainly first half today were pretty listless so not impossible they could be caught. They looked like we did between November and February. Same could be said for Walsall if they don't act fast with getting a proper manager in.

Walsall loss to Southend Tuesday would really drag them in, I think if Walsall win that 12 points with GD with 9 to go should mean we are there or at worst a couple of points away.

Play how we have been the past couple of games with Manny, Worrall and Monty back and Pope probably there next week and we hopefully can get out of this thread sooner rather than later.

Winnable trip to a ground we have an excellent record at up next. Hopefully that can continue, if it does that would be us done I think.

 

[AdamStag]

Looking much better for barrow after their change of manager.

Mansfield get another point at home to grimsby to keep us at bay.